Car-coupling.



UNITED s'rArEs PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. MCCARTHY, OF- INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF TWO- THIRDS TOPATRICK F. MORIARTY AND JOHN L. KAMSAY, OF IN- DIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

CAR-COUPLING.

No. s41,so5.

To all whom it 7%6Ly concern.-

Be it known that I, J OHN F. MCCARTHY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to what are known as rotary or knuckle couplings.Its object is to provide for the more secure locking of such a couplingand also to afford the means for taking up any lost motion or loosenessof the knuckle, the play resulting from which has heretofore resulted inunduewear and breakage in the device and associated parts.

I accomplish the objects of the invention by the mechanism illustratedin the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is a view in horizontalsection longitudinally of the draw-bar of a coupling embodying myinvention, and Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section of my invention onthe line 2 2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout both viewsof the drawings.

3 designates a drawbar arranged under the car-body, which latter isindicated by the line 4, which draw-bar may be attached to the car-bodyin any usual and well-' known manner. This draw-bar is hollow and has atits front end the buffer-head 5.

6 designates a coupling-piece or knuckle of elbow form substantiallylike what is commonly used in what are known as knuckle or rotarycouplings, consisting of a hooked portion 7 for engaging with thecorresponding portion of the coupling member of another car and a curvedarm 8 to lock the knuckle when it is engaged.

The hollow draw-bar 3 has within its rear part a transverse partition 9,and in front of this partition on the top and bottom walls of thedraw-bar are the longitudinal ribs 10, which act as guides to controlthe direction ofmovement of the locking-plate 12 and to hold saidlocking-plate in position with its bearing against the adjacent sidewall of the draw-bar. The locking-plate 12 has an inner oblique face 13,which forms a wedge construction of the plate, tapering toward the endof the draw-bar carrying the knuckle 6. The wedge thus formed isconstrained by the guides 10 to move longitudinally of the draw-bar 3,and it is pressed in a .normal outward direction by a spring 15. Thespring Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed SeptemberlS, 1906. Serial No. 335,098.

Patented Jan. 22, 1907.

15 is wrapped around a bolt 16., carried by the locking-plate 12 andextending through a suitable perforation in the partition 9. The spring15 has its bearing against the partition 9 and against the locking-plate12;

The outer or front end of the locking-plate 12 is made rounding, asshown at 17, in order to make it easier for the arm 8 of the knuckle topush the plate 12 back out of its way to permit the knuckle to assumeits engaged or holding position, which is shown in full lines in Fig. 1.In this position the end of the arm 8 is in contact with the obliqueface 1.3 of the locking-plate 12, and through the constantpressure ofthe spring 15 the locking-plate 12 is pressed constantly in an outwarddirection, so that any space due to the wearing off of the end of thearm 8 or to looseness by wear or otherwise of the knuckle on its pivotwill be immediately taken up by the further insertion of thelocking-plate 12 between the end of the arm 8 and the side of thedraw-bar 3.

18 is a shaft extending transversely of the draw-bar 3 under thebuffer-head 5 on suitable bearings from said buffer-head, and 19 is anarm carried by the shaft 18, having a circular head 20, (shown in dottedlines in Fig. 2,) which is inserted loosely ina recess 21, formed in thelockinglate 12, as shown in dotted lines in the two 'gures. The shaft 18has suitable means, as the outside arm 24, for rocking it. A backwardrocking movement of the shaft 8 will cause the arm 19 to move the lockin-plate 12 in an inward di rection, which wi 1 release the knuckle 8. Arelease of the rock-shaft 18 will liberate the locking-plate 12whereupon it will be forced out by the spring 15. The cavity 21 will belarge enough to allow considerable play of the locking-plate 12 withoutmoving the arm 19.

Havin thus fully described my invention, what I cIaim as new, and wishto secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The combination with a car-body, a draw-bar attached thereto, acoupling-piece of elbow form pivoted to said bar, and a wedgeshapedlockin late fitted to slide lengthwise within an ongitudinally of saidbar to engage with said coupling-piece and lock it against movement anda spring to press the locking-plate constantly toward thecoupling-piece.

2. The combination with a car-body, a draw-bar attached thereto,acoupling-piece of elbow form pivoted-to said bar, a Wedgeshapedlocking-plate fitted to slide lengthwise within and longitudinally ofsaid bar to engage with said coupling-piece and lock it against movementand a spring to press the locking-plate constantly toward thecouplingpiece, and a rock-shaft having an arm for moving saidlocking-plate in opposition to the spring.

3. The combination with a car-body, a hollow draw-bar attached theretohaving a transverse artition within its rear part, and longitudina lribs or flanges extending forward from said partition to form guides, aforwardly tapering locking plate having grooves to fit said guides, aspring between the locking-plate and partition to press the platenormally outward, and a couplingpiece of elbow form pivoted to saiddraw-bar in the path of said locking-plate and adapted to be locked bythe wedging of the lockingplate between the coupling-piece and the sideof the draw-bar.

4. The combination with a car-body, a

hollow draw-bar attached thereto having a transverse partition withinits rear part lo'ngitudinal ribs or flanges extending forward from saidpartition to form guides, a for wardly-tapering looking-plate grooved tofit said guides, a bolt carried by said lockingplate, a spring wrappedaround said bolt and bearing at one end against the locking-plate and atthe other against said partition, arock-

